ESPN’s first Football Power Index for the 2026 college football season gave Iowa a spot that turns heads: No. 25.
That alone is notable for a team that usually gets treated like an afterthought in these early preseason exercises. The Hawkeyes landed in the final position of the top 25 on a list that was heavily tilted toward the Big Ten and SEC, with 13 SEC teams and seven Big Ten teams included. Ohio State opened at No. 1, and the usual heavyweight programs filled out much of the rest of the board.
Still, Iowa’s placement stands out because of what the Hawkeyes are carrying into next season. The biggest question is the quarterback spot, which remains unsettled and sits at the center of the conversation.
ESPN’s late spring ranking of all 138 quarterback situations in college football put Iowa in Tier 15, a group labeled “everyone gets lucky sometimes.” ESPN’s reasoning was tied not only to the lack of a named starter, but also to the belief that neither option is “marketably worse” than what Iowa has had in recent seasons.
That’s the part that makes the FPI ranking so revealing. ESPN clearly isn’t sold on Iowa’s quarterback room, yet it still sees enough around the position to keep the Hawkeyes in the top 25. That says a lot about how the program has managed to survive offensively for years, leaning on the offensive line, the running game, and the defense to do the heavy lifting.
It also explains why this season feels different. Iowa has only 10 returning starters across both sides of the ball, which makes repeating that formula tougher than usual.
The offense has been a problem for a while, but the staff and players have found ways to win anyway. Now the margin for error gets thinner.
Kirk Ferentz, tight end Addison Ostrenga, linebacker Jayden Montgomery, and defensive back Zach Lutmer are expected to face those questions and more at Big Ten Football Media Days later in July. For now, though, the message from ESPN’s rankings is pretty clear: Iowa’s quarterback situation may be unsettled, but it’s not enough to knock the Hawkeyes out of the conversation.
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Zach Lutmer has already become one of the more important pieces in Iowas secondary, and not just because of what he did last season. The defensive back showed the kind of versatility the Hawkeyes value, moving around the back end while producing 71 tackles and three interceptions, and both Phil Parker and Kirk Ferentz have pointed to his leadership as part of what makes him such a trusted presence.
As Iowa looks ahead to 2026, Lutmers role feels even more central because he can help solve multiple problems at once. The staff sees him as a player who can handle different spots in the secondary depending on need, and there is also growing interest in how he might fit into the return game, another sign that his value to the Hawkeyes stretches well beyond one position. [Read more 🡒]